No, not because of Mitch Marner and his continued contract negotiation saga that literally will never reach an end. Rather, injuries to Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman will keep the Maple Leafs’ lineup at less than full strength for roughly the first month of the year, as both players recover from serious ailments that dogged them through last season.
This will naturally create some questions.
Hyman and Dermott are important pieces of the Maple Leafs in their current construction – the former has played with one of John Tavares or Auston Matthews for the entirety of his career, while the latter is expected to slot into the top-four upon return.